1.

2 LESSON:
REPRESENTING MOTION
WITH GRAPHS
Learning Goals

• Plot position-time, velocity-time and acceleration-

time graphs
• Interpret motion graphs
• Calculate velocity from a position-time graph
• Calculate displacement and acceleration from a
velocity-time graph
 Motion Graphs

• Motion graphs provide a visual representation

of an object’s motion
• A position-time graph has position on the
vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis.
 Position-Time Graph
Position Time (s) Position vs time for a toy car
(m[E])
4.5
4 0 4.0

4 1 3.5

4 2 3.0

Position(m[E])
4 3 2.5

2.0
4 4
1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5

Time (s)

The graph shows that the toy car is at

rest 4.0 m east of the reference point.
Position-time Graphs –object at rest

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 Uniform Motion Graph
Position Time (s) Position vs time for a toy car
(m[E]) 9.0

0 0 8.0

7.0
2 1 6.0

Position(m[E])
4 2 5.0

6 3 4.0

3.0
8 4 2.0

1.0

0.0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5

Time (s)

The graph is a straight line sloping

upwards to the right
Graph has a positive slope.

The graph shows that the toy car is travelling

uniformly at 2.0 m/s east of the reference
point.
 Uniform Motion Graph
Position Time (s) Position vs time for a toy car
(m[E]) 9.0

8 0 8.0
7.0
6 1 6.0

Position(m[E])
4 2 5.0
4.0
2 3 3.0
0 4 2.0
1.0
0.0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5

Time (s)

The slope of the position-time graph is

negative.

The graph shows that the toy car is travelling

uniformly at 2.0 m/s towards the reference
point or west of the reference point.
Position-time Graphs-constant velocity

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 Non-uniform Position-time Graph
Position Time (s) Position vs time for a toy car
(m[E]) 18.0

0 0 16.0

14.0
1 1 12.0

Position(m[E])
4 2 10.0

8.0
9 3 6.0

16 4 4.0

2.0

0.0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5

Time (s)

• The toy car is moving away from the reference point, in the
direction of positive displacement or east.
• The displacement of the toy car increases for each additional
second.
• The slope of the curved line increases uniformly.
• This means the velocity of the toy car is increasing uniformly.
 Average Velocity-non uniform motion
• Graph shows an object moving with non-uniform velocity
• Generally the average velocity is the slope of the line segment that joins
the positions at the beginning and end of the time interval.
• Secant: a straight line connecting two points on a curve

Object moving with non-uniform velocity

 Non-uniform Motion Graph
Position Time (s) Position vs time for a toy car
(m[E]) 18.0

0 0 16.0

14.0
1 1 12.0

Position(m[E])
4 2 10.0
∆⃑
𝑑
8.0
9 3 6.0

16 4 4.0

2.0

0.0
t
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5

Time (s)
 Non-uniform Motion Graph
Position vs time for a toy car
18.0

Position Time (s) 16.0

(m[E]) 14.0

0 0 12.0

Position(m[E])
10.0
7 1
8.0

12 2 6.0

15 3 4.0

16 4
2.0

0.0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5

Time (s)

• The toy car is moving away from the reference point, in the
positive direction.
• The displacement of the toy car decreases for each additional
second.
• The slope of the curved line decreases uniformly.
• This means the velocity of the toy car is decreasing uniformly.
Position-time Graphs-uniform acceleration

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Position-time Graphs-uniform acceleration

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 Instantaneous Velocity

• When an object is accelerating uniformly, its velocity

changes with time.
• The position-time graph is a curve
• The instantaneous velocity is the velocity of an object
at a specific instant in time.
• Instantaneous velocity can be determined by
calculating the slope of the tangent line of a position-
time graph.
• The average velocity is determined from the secant of
the line drawn on the graph.
 Instantaneous Velocity
• Instantaneous speed (v): the • Instantaneous velocity (): the
speed of an object at a velocity of an object at a
particular instant particular instant
• The magnitude of the slope • The magnitude of the slope of
of the tangent to a position- the tangent to a position-time
time graph graph.
Instantaneous Velocity 1. Draw the tangent which just
touches the line at that time.
2. Adjust the length of the line as
necessary.
3. Measure the slope.

⃗
𝑑2 − ⃗𝑑1
𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒=
𝑡 2 − 𝑡1

175𝑚 [ 𝐸] − 0
𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒=
9.0 𝑠 −2.0 𝑠

175 𝑚 [ 𝐸 ]
slope= =25 𝑚/ 𝑠 [ 𝐸]
7.0 𝑠

Instantaneous velocity
Instantaneous velocity = slope of at 4.0 s is 25 m/s [E]
the tangent drawn on the line at
the instant in time
Velocity-Time Graphs
Learning Goals
• Plot position-time, velocity-time and acceleration-
time graphs
• Interpret motion graphs
• Calculate velocity from a position-time graph
• Calculate displacement and acceleration from a
velocity-time graph
 Velocity-time Graph Velocity vs time graph
Time (s) Velocity 7.0
(m/s[N]
6.0
0 6
5.0
1 6

Velocity(m/s[N])
4.0
2 6 3.0

3 6 2.0

1.0
4 6
0.0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0
time (s)

Object moving at a constant

velocity of 6m/ s north.
 Velocity-time Graphs & Acceleration
• Average acceleration: the change in velocity divided by the
time interval for that change

• Instantaneous acceleration: the acceleration at a particular instant in

time

• Instantaneous acceleration equals the slope of the velocity-time

graph at a particular instant in time.

• If the v-t graph is a straight line for a particular time interval, the
acceleration is constant & the average acceleration equals the
instantaneous acceleration.
 Velocity-time Graph

Time (s) Velocity (m/s[N] Velocity vs time graph

14.0
0 0
12.0

1 3 10.0

Velocity(m/s[N])
8.0
2 6
6.0

3 9 4.0

2.0
4 12
0.0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0
time (s)

• Velocity increases by 3
m/s each second.
• Rate of change of
velocity is constant.
• Motion is uniform
acceleration.
 Velocity-time Graph Velocity vs time graph
14.0
Time (s) Velocity 12.0
(m/s[N]
10.0

Velocity(m/s[N])
0 12 8.0

6.0
1 9
4.0
2 6 2.0

0.0
3 3 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0
time (s)
4 0

• Velocity decreases by 3 m/s2 ]

each second. Acceleration is 3.0 m/s2[S]
• Rate of change of velocity is
Object moving north but slowing
constant. down uniformly
• Motion is uniform
deceleration.
Velocity-time Graph
Time (s) Velocity Velocity vs Time Graph
(m/s[N]
15.0
0 12.0
10.0
1 9.0

Velocity (m/s [N])

5.0
2 6.0

3 3.0 0.0
0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0

4 0.0 -5.0

5 -3.0 -10.0

6 -6.0 Time (s)

• Object is moving north but slowing down uniformly

• At 4.0 s the object stops momentarily
• From 4.0 s to 6.0 s the object’s velocity increases
uniformly south.
 Velocity-time Graphs
•When the object is stationary, graph is a straight horizontal line at
0.
•When the object is undergoing uniform motion (constant
velocity), graph is a straight horizontal line, above or below the
time axis.
•For straight sloping line with positive gradient, the object is
accelerating in the positive direction.
•For straight sloping line with negative gradient, the object is
decelerating or slowing down or accelerating in the negative
direction.
•If the graph curves, the acceleration of the object is changing.
•The area under the graph is the displacement of the object
 Velocity-Time Graphs
Area under the graph (between graph line and time axis)
= displacement
Reminders:
• Area of Triangle= 1/2bh
• Area of Rectangle = L X W
• For an Area of Multiple shapes then add areas together.
• Areas above the time axis are positive because the
object is moving away from the reference point (in the
positive direction)
• Areas below the time axis are negative because the
object is moving towards the reference point.
 Acceleration-time graph
Acceleration–time
graph a graph
describing motion of
an object, with
acceleration on the
vertical axis and time
on the horizontal axis
Acceleration-time graph Area under an
acceleration-
time graph = the
change in
velocity of an
object.

This means that

the objects
velocity
increased by 20
m/s [W] in 5.0 s